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 SPEAKER BIO AND TOPIC OVERVIEW

Shiva G. Ghaed, Ph.D., M.P.H. 

- Keynote Speaker

Shiva Ghaed is a California-licensed Clinical Psychologist, currently working for the Department of Mental Health in the Naval Medical Center San Diego healthcare system
Oct 1, 2017, Dr. Ghaed’s love of country music took her to Route 91 on the night of the shooting in Las Vegas and she, along with many others, witnessed the horror of that night as people around her were shot and killed. She found purpose and meaning in surviving the massacre, and made it her mission to give back to her community and help guide other Route 91 survivors in their healing. One week following the shooting, Dr. Ghaed launched a free weekly support group for survivors and their family and friends. She posted weekly therapy-based articles specifically catered to and witnessing the Route 91 community recovery process. Her goal is to help people better cope with the traumatic aftermath through education and support, and with the hope of preventing the development of PTSD. A website was created, www.route91therapy.com, to allow public access to these documents, and this information has been disseminated to the Route 91 community across the United States and Canada. In April, 2018, Dr. Ghaed was honored with the Citizens of Courage Award by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, and the National Hero Award by the American Red Cross (Metro New York).
There are still many people who have not connected to care or who do not have adequate social support or healthcare. Dr. Ghaed’s strong belief that healthcare is a basic human right, her faith in the resiliency of the human spirit, and her sense of obligation to serving others fuels a mission of destigmatizing mental illness through knowledge and awareness.
In honor of the 1-year anniversary of the Las Vegas massacre (on Oct 1, 2018), Dr. Ghaed released her book, Route 91: Healing from Mass Violence and Trauma for free download on her new platform www.loveexpands.com. The book documents her experience surviving the massacre, as well as the journey of recovery since then, for her and her Route 91 community. She hopes that her book will provide insight into the process of recovering from mass violence, expected reactions, barriers to recovery, and tools to heal. Furthermore, her teachings are applicable to a broader audience who may suffer from anxiety, depression, or other types of trauma.

Shiva Ghaed is a California-licensed Clinical Psychologist, currently working for the Department of Mental Health in the Naval Medical Center San Diego healthcare system (Marine Corps Recruit Depot). Dr. Ghaed provides group and individual therapy to active duty patients in the catchment area, maintains ongoing involvement in academia and research, and has served as a voting member on the Institutional Review Board for NMCSD. Dr. Ghaed’s clinical experience includes several years of training and specialization in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems of San Diego and Los Angeles. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the San Diego VA, specializing in anxiety disorders, non-combat trauma, and combat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans. Dr. Ghaed is a member of the American Psychological Association, and strives to maintain competency and excellence as a therapist and professional in her field. In 2015, she was presented with the Associate Master Clinician Award.

Dr. Ghaed’s formal education includes a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (Behavioral Medicine) from the Joint Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University (2008), an M.P.H. in Health Promotion (2006) and an M.S. in Psychology (2006) from SDSU, a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Maryland (2001), and a B.S. in Zoology (Premedicine) from the George Washington University (1993). For the past 30 years, Dr. Ghaed has been involved in research ranging from bench research in the pure sciences to clinical research in the social sciences and psychology, and she has worked for world and nationally renowned organizations such as the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIH), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. She was Project Director for an NIH-funded research study for several years, and has served in leadership positions at the Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, at NMCSD and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (NHCP). Dr. Ghaed regularly presents at professional conferences and grand rounds for a variety of mental health departments (including the VA, NHCP, and MCRD), local clinics, and universities. She has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has received honors and awards for excellence in her field throughout the course of her career.

TOPIC: HOW TO SURVIVE, THRIVE, AND HELP OTHERS AFTER TRAUMA

TALKING POINTS:

  • Surviving the deadliest massacre in U.S. history; 1 story of 22,000
  • Road to recovery after a traumatic experience
  • Understanding trauma and the psychological aftermath
  • Tips for overall mental health and self-care

Michele Rigby Assad  

Michele Rigby Assad is a former undercover officer in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Operations. Trained as a counterterrorism specialist, Michele served her country for ten years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations.

Upon retirement from active service, Michele and her husband Joseph (also a former agent) joined a group of Americans who wished to aid persecuted Christians. Their efforts resulted in the evacuation of a group from northern Iraq that was featured on ABC’s 20/20 in December 2015.

Michele holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Today she serves as an international security consultant, splitting her time between the Middle East, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

TOPIC: Interviewing Skills

Be prepared! Know the details of the case Know the person's background Will it be recorded?

Secure the cooperation of the person. What's in it for them? Make note of nonverbal cues, Eye contact, Restless in seat / fidgety, Ask open ended questions

Avoid bias or preconceived notions in your questions that might influence the interviewee's answers

Be on the lookout for conflicting details and reconcile them

Memorialize your findings immediately afterward (while they are fresh in your mind). Document verbatim statements when necessary.

Peter Gallo  - former UN investigator and Director, ‘Hear their Cries’

Peter Gallo is a qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Scotland, Hong Kong and New York. He has an MBA and an LLM in International Criminal Law.  He spent 19 years as an investigator based in Hong Kong, working on investigations in some of the most corrupt countries in Asia and was a leading authority on the identification and detection of money laundering.

In 2011, he was recruited by the United Nations, as an investigator in the Office of Internal Oversight Services, Investigations Division in New York; the office that is supposed to investigate corruption, fraud and other criminality in the Organization.

He has been quoted extensively in the international media and appeared on television in a number of countries worldwide.

TOPIC:  Money Laundering

Everything you need to become an international expert in 90 minutes.

Whether you are primarily interested in financial crime, counterfeiting or any other branch of illicit illicit activity that has a financial motive introduces a potential 'money laundering' dimension, in any jurisdiction connected to the proceeds of that activity.

It is, however, possible to understand the salient features of the anti-money-laundering framework of any country that you may encounter, opening the door to an alternative investigative angle.

Tim Davis

Tracers has been powering thousands of licensed private investigators and law enforcement agencies with investigative data for over 20 years. Tracers combines public-information records with self-reported data sets to give investigators access to people, address and telephone histories, vehicles, businesses, social media activity, assets, liens, judgments, bankruptcies, evictions, licenses, associates, and so much more — packed into an affordable comprehensive web-based system that is easy to read and comprehend. With meticulously managed data and ongoing updates derived from over 6,000 sources, Tracers delivers the data that drives investigations forward to completion.

TOPIC: Tracers

Tracers recently launched a new advanced online platform for licensed private investigators to conduct the research they need with ease. Tracers’ representative, Tim Davis will lead a presentation of the new platform showing how the system delivers critical data that helps solve cases faster and with less expense. From decades old search solutions such as skip-traces, criminal records searches, and asset searches to other more recent necessities such as social media searches, Tracers delivers that data that investigators demand. The new platform is designed for today’s private investigator that is on-the-go and needs information instantly by providing a mobile friendly interface, but also offering a user-friendly interface when used on a desktop, laptop, or tablet as well. No wonder Tracers has been voted the #1 data provider to private investigators!


Sheriff Wayne Ivey 

Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a Law Enforcement Officer for over 38 years. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy 237th Session and has a Bachelor's Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. His background in Law Enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Sheriff Ivey is serving his second term as Sheriff of Brevard County and prior to being elected in 2012, served the citizens of the State of Florida as the Resident Agent-in-Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Ivey developed numerous programs that were recognized at the national and state level for their innovation and excellence in criminal investigations. Programs such as the “Child Abduction Response Team” and “Law Enforcement Getting Identity Thieves” still stand today as national models in the investigation of child abductions and identity theft cases.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of crime prevention innovation. Under his direction, the Crime Rate in Brevard County has dropped almost 22% in the past five years and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit has been recognized as the Crime Prevention Unit of the Year for the State of Florida. Sheriff Ivey has also been recognized on two separate occasions as the recipient of the “President's Award for Crime Prevention and Awareness” by the Florida Crime Prevention Association and was recently honored to receive the NRA “National Defender of Freedom Award.”

Currently Sheriff Ivey is the Chairman of the Florida Sheriff’s Association Training Committee who speaks regularly on topics such as the 4 A’s of Survival (surviving an Active Shooter scenario), Identity Theft, Human Trafficking, Crime in America, Domestic Violence, Leadership, Becoming a “No Kill” Community, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that “it takes a community to protect a community” and that crime prevention and education are vital to reducing our crime rate and protecting our citizens.

TOPIC: CHECK BACK FOR MORE SPEAKER INFORMATION...

Carrie Kerskie

President & CEO, Griffon Force LLC.
President, Kerskie Group LLC. 
Member, Collier Identity Theft Task Force
Author, Your Public Identity; Because Nothing is Private Anymore
Previous: Director, Identity Fraud Institute at Hodges University

Carrie Kerskie is a highly sought-after national speaker, trainer, author and consultant on the topics of identity theft, fraud and data privacy. She has presented at over 300 conferences, professional and civic organizational meetings, professional development and corporate training events. A few include NASA at Kennedy Space Center, McGraw-Hill Credit Union in New York and International Intelligence Network. Carrie is the creator of the professional development and certification programs Investigating Identity Theft, Personal Privacy Risk Professional, Organizational Privacy Risk Professional and Certified Privacy Risk Professional.

She is the author of the book, Your Public Identity; Because Nothing is Private Anymore. She has contributed to publications such as Naples Daily News and AgingCare.com. Carrie has been quoted in numerous publications such as Real Simple magazine and TechRepublic.com. She appears regularly on various local and national news programs on NBC, ABC, Fox 4, NPR and WINK News.

Carrie is an identity theft victim advocate. For more than ten years Carrie and her team have assisted victims of identity theft in the restoration process. During which she developed a proprietary risk reduction process to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. These led to the creation of Griffon Force, focused on defending you and your family from identity theft and cyber-attacks.

In 2017 the Collier Citizens Council presented Carrie with the inaugural Murray Hendel Civic Achievement award. The award honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the community of Naples, Florida.

In 2015 Carrie was the driving force behind strengthening Florida’s identity theft laws including making business identity theft a crime in the state.

In 2014 Congressman Diaz-Balart lauded Carrie with a Congressional Record for her work on identity theft.

Awards and accomplishments
2009 Gulfshore Business’ Top 40 Under 40 recognizing 40 rising stars under 40 years old
2009 Harvey R. Morse Founder’s Award for “Outstanding Service” to the Florida Association of Private Investigators and the private investigation industry
2010 American Business Women’s Association Neapolitan Chapter “Woman of the Year”

TOPIC: Identity Theft Restoration

Every two seconds another American becomes a victim of identity theft. Data breaches are on the risk. In 2018 over one billion records were exposed through data breaches nationwide. Assistance for identity theft victims is limited. This could be an opportunity for you to expand your business into identity theft restoration. This program will explore:

  • The types of identity theft, yes there are more than one
  • Warning signs 
  • Methods used by thieves
  • Identity theft laws and important deadlines to know
  • Understanding victim psychology
  • How to restore an identity
  • Steps to take to reduce future risk of identity theft

This program is taught by Carrie Kerskie, an internationally recognized identity theft. Through her companies Kerskie Group and Griffon Force, she and her team have worked with identity theft victims for more than ten years. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion which may be submitted for continuing education credit to your appropriate reporting organization. We cannot guarantee acceptance by the organization, however, this program has previously received acceptance by the Florida Bar Association, the CFP board, the Florida Board of Accountancy and more.

Joe Matthews

PROFESSION: CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR / ANALYST - EXPERT WITNESS / LITIGATION CONSULTANT

Conducts criminal investigations, specializing in cold case homicides. Analyze court and police case files, reports, evidence, depositions, recorded interviews, statements and data from media representation for case irregularities.

Direct stalled investigations by generating crime scene hypothesis and motives to identify suspects for case resolution. In State and U.S. Federal Court accepted as an expert witness as it relates to investigative procedures, investigative interviewing and interrogation, and the criminal investigative standard procedures and policies of homicide investigations that are nationally recognized in the law enforcement community.

CAREER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR

  • Supervised and conducted over 1,000 death investigations during 29 year police career as Detective Sergeant, Supervisor-in-Charge of Homicide, Sex Crimes and Chief Polygraph Examiner for the City of Miami Beach (Florida) Police Department. Supervisor in Charge of Miami Beach Police SWAT Team.
  • Twelve years On-Screen Senior Criminal Investigator for Fox Broadcasting “America’s Most Wanted.”
  • Fifteen years On-Screen News Contributor, Analyst, and Criminal Investigator for Fox News Channel.
  • Investigated and obtained confessions and convictions of numerous high-profile cases which include:
    • Abused, neglected and torture murder of “Baby Lollipop”
    • Rape and murder of socialite Emilia Marko (10 year old Cold Case Investigation)
    • German National, murderer Dieter Riechmann
    • Serial murderer of South Beach, Bobby Chayne
    • Serial rapist Jeffrey A. Weekley admitted committing over 1,000 rapes throughout the U.S.
    • Serial rapist Richard Trinchela, admitted extorting sex and raping elderly women
    • Serial rapist William Morales, admitted “Golf Course Rapist”
    • Drug-sting murder of Miami Beach undercover police detective Scott Rakow

ANDREA GAIL PARSONS DISAPPEARANCE:

On April 20th, 2011, at the request of Martin County (Florida) Sheriff Robert Crowder, a case file analysis and cold case investigation was conducted concerning the sudden disappearance of 10-year-old Andrea Parsons. On July 11th, 1993, Andrea was last seen walking two blocks from her home to a convenience store to buy candy. Nineteen years later, after going undercover for more than 16 months and befriending the suspects, detailed recorded admissions of guilt were obtained as well as a recorded confession. As a result of grand jury indictments, on November 29th, 2012, Chester Duane Price was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder and kidnapping of a child under the age of thirteen. Claude Davis, a registered sex offender and a co-conspirator in the kidnapping-murder of Andrea Parsons, admitted his involvement to the grand jury but died before any criminal charges could be filed against him.

ADAM WALSH KIDNAPPING AND MURDER INVESTIGATION:

At the request of John and Reve Walsh and with the approval of the Hollywood (Florida) Police Chief Chad Wagner, a case file analysis and cold case investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh was conducted. As a result of a 2 year, 9 month investigation, compelling key evidence was discovered after having been overlooked for over 25 years. Previously unknown witnesses were identified and interviewed, successful corroboration of witness statements that were originally unfounded, proved beyond any doubt that Ottis Toole was solely responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh. After being credited for solving the case it was officially closed by the Hollywood Police Department and the Broward County State Attorney’s Office during a National News Conference on December 16, 2008.

TOPIC: Investigative Interviewing as it Relates to Cold Case Homicide Investigation

The analysis and cold case homicide investigations of the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh and the abduction and murder of Andrea Parsons. The investigative interviewing techniques used to solve both cases.

Bruce Sackman

Bruce Sackman served as the Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, Northeast Field Office until May 2005 when he retired after 32 years’ service. In this capacity, he was responsible for all major criminal investigations involving VA from West Virginia to Maine. During his tenure he was involved in hundreds of investigations involving allegations of fraud, corruption, false claims, thefts, patient assaults, pharmaceutical drug diversions and suspicious hospital deaths. He was also responsible for supervising the successful investigation of the nation’s first homicide conviction in connection with pharmaceutical research. His cases involving medical professionals who have murdered their patients have been featured on the Discovery Health Channel, CNN, MSNBC, America’s Most Wanted and on Home Box Office. He is the recipient of many awards for his investigations and for his efforts in encouraging the profession of forensic nursing. Mr. Sackman has lectured at several forensic related conferences, State police organizations, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, universities and medical related symposia.

He is the co-author of the new book “Behind the Murder Curtain, Special Agent Bruce Sackman Hunts Doctors and Nurses Who Kill Our Veterans and the article “When the ICU becomes a Crime Scene” for Critical Care Nursing Quarterly.

Mr. Sackman is currently self-employed as a licensed private investigator in New York City specializing in healthcare related matters. Under contract he directs all major investigations for a major New York metropolitan regional healthcare system.

He is the President of the Society of Professional Investigators in New York City.

TOPIC:

Serial Killers in Healthcare

  • Cast Studies will be presented

  • Red Flags on how to spot these individuals will be discussed

  • How to successfully investigate allegations of this nature
  • What are the motivations for these individuals to commit these crimes
  • What are the common defenses utilized by attorneys in these matters

Ed Spicer, LPI, CFC, BAI

Partner- Ocean States Investigative Group, LLC
Partner-New England PI Equipment  -  Beverly, MA

Ed Spicer has 37 years’ experience conducting investigations in both the public and private sector in both overt and undercover capacities. He holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Hesser College and a Professional Designation as a CFC (Certified Fraud Consultant) from the International Fraud Training Institute & BAI (Board Accredited Investigator) from Florida Association Of Private Investigators. He is a licensed Private Investigator in Mass, Maine & New Hampshire. A full service private investigative & security services firm, Ocean States Investigative Group, LLC (OSIG) was formed in 2004 to provide high quality, cost effective investigative services for the insurance and legal communities as well as the private individual.

In addition to OSIG belonging to the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce, Ed also belongs to Intellenet (current Assistant Executive Director) the Licensed Private Detectives Association of Massachusetts (Past BOD & Past Secretary), New Hampshire League of Investigator’s (Past BOD), New England Claims Association (NECA), Boston Association of Claims Executives (BACE), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) & New England Anti-Fraud Association, New England Association of Insurance Fraud Investigators (NEAIFI). He is also a founding member of Investigative & Security Professionals for Legislative Action (ISPLA) & is a past President of the Maine PI Association. Ed has been a Basketball official at the High School, College & Prep School level for 26 years.

TOPIC:

“Pre-surveillance, surveillance & trouble-shooting techniques”

This presentation will provide you with proven ideas on how to properly prepare yourself for your surveillance before ever leaving your office, once you arrive on-site & troubleshooting your surveillance.

Information provided will include vehicle types, camera types, computer research (FREE & paid), surveillance myths & facts, fixed, mobile & foot surveillance, single & multiple investigator surveillance, equipment and more...



Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr.

EDUCATION: University of Florida, B.A., Political Science, 1970;

Florida State University, J.D., 1973.

LEGAL OFFICES & POSITIONS:

Judge, Fifth District Court of Appeal, 1993-2008, Chief Judge, 2000-2003; Circuit Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit, 1980-1993, Chief Judge, 1989-1991; Judge, Orange County Court, 1976-1980; Assistant State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit, 1973-1976; Adjunct Professor, Valencia Community College, 1982-1987; Faculty Member, National Judicial College, 1987-2000.

BAR OFFICES & ACTIVITIES:

The Florida Bar; Orange County Bar Association, 1974-present; former Member, American Bar Association; American Judicature Society, 1978-present; National Bar Association, 1976-present; Paul C. Perkins Bar Association, 1984-present; Florida Supreme Court Statistics and Workload Committee, 1991-2000, Chair, 1995-97; Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges, 1993-present; State Courts System Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, 1998-present; Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, 1999-present; The Florida Supreme Court Racial and Ethnic Bias Study Commission, 1989-91; former Member, Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar Bench/Bar Commission (Style and Drafting Committee); Florida Supreme Court Pro Bono Committee; Designated Director, The Florida Bar Foundation, 1991-93, 2002-present; founding Member and first President, Central Florida American Inns of Court; Executive Committee of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges; Chair, Probate Section, Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, 1991-93; Executive Council, Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, 1989-93; Judicial Administration Section, Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, 1989-91; Judicial Relations Committee of Orange County Bar Association, 1988-2004; Instructor, Guardian Ad Litem Program, Orange County Bar Association, 1980-82.

HONORS & AWARDS:

Nominated for Florida Supreme Court by Judicial Nominating Commission, 1994; National Endowment for Humanities Fellow, 1978; selected for Rotary International Group Exchange Program, 1979; Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar for Outstanding Contribution to the Trial Lawyers Section, 1986-87; United Way Community Service Award, 1977, 1978.


TOPIC: CHECK BACK FOR MORE SPEAKER INFORMATION...


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